Summit

Barbara Schaefer

Age: 62

Occupation:Retired

Number of Cruises: 5

Cruise Line: Celebrity

Ship: Summit

Sailing Date: February 12th, 2006

Itinerary: n/a

Celebrity Cruise Line
Summit Cruise Review
Panama Canal

Barbara Schaefer

We departed Los Angeles via San Pedro Cruise Terminal, after arriving a day
early. It's risky to plan to arrive the day of departure if your plans include
extensive travel to the port city. We never buy package deals so are always left
to muddle through transfers. In LA, if you go the day before, you need only get
your party back to the LAX Baggage Claim for any major airline and find the
Celebrity rep who will put you on their bus to the cruise terminal, a nominal
22.50 per person charged to your cruise account. The trip takes about 40
minutes. Celebrity is always gracious about allowing early boarding and you can
check-in and head right to lunch. This was our second trip on Summit and we were
as impressed this trip as we were two years ago when we sailed to Alaska. Out
itinerary included three stops in Mexico - Cabo San Lucas, Huatulco, and
Acapulco. The Coastal Highlights Tour was our choice for Cabo and was a
delightful overview of this jetset resort favorite. Our friends did a snorkeling
trip and were thrilled with the variety of sea life encountered. Since we had
spent many years visiting Acapulco we declined an excursion in favor of a walk
around tour of the city. It was disappointing to see the dirt, poverty,
overpowering sidewalk peddlers, and self-appointed "guides" who continually
joined our group. The inner city is a traffic nightmare and, if you have never
been to Acapulco, a short excursion offering an overview of the city and sea
might be the best option. Huatulco was was a lovely city by the sea, reminiscent
of Acapulco thirty years ago, and we took The Scenic Drive & La Crucecita, an
overview of the town and country. We ended in the city market where we found
small, clean, safe sidewalk cafes for lunch and a local beer. Again, the water
sports were the choice of our friends and, with it's nine bays and multiple
hidden coves, it was a definite winner. Our next stop was Costa Rica, a large
and mostly mountainous country with many dark sandy beaches teeming with people
on weekends. All of the excursions offered in Puntarenas, CR, entailed long bus
rides over bumpy, narrow, mountain roads built for very small cars. When two
buses had to pass it was a breahtaking experience! The Traditions of Costa Rica
excursion that we took was the shortest but still meant a three hour bus drive
to a coffee plantation (while we passed at least a dozen on the way) at the very
top of the mountain. We spent a short 30 minutes there, piled back on the bus
for a one hour trip back to a small luncheon buffet put on by the locals, and
then 2 1/2 hours back down the mountain to the ship. We didn't see many happy
folks on any of the Costa Rica tours. Our days at sea were filled with all of
the good food and great service that Celebrity is famous for. We met people who
ate in the specialty restaurant, The Normanyd, and they raved about the quality
of the food and the generous selections.

The Aqua Spa is incredible with a Thalossatherapy
Pool, Jacuzzis, and many facial and body treatments available. For those women
that wonder about risking the Beauty Shop, one of us had a shampoo, blow-dry,
and styling, and came away looking terrific. There are not incessant
announcements made over the PA system on Celebrity nor nonstop urgings to
participate in group activities. They are readily available but no pressure to
participate. The Celebrity singers and dancers on the Summit were definite
Broadway caliber but I have heard others say that the entertainment on Celebrity
is generally not up to the grandeur of it's facilities, i.e., stage, lighting,
music. Our deluxe oceanview cabin with veranda was number 6024, on the Penthouse
Deck. There are eight cabins in the forward part of the ship with double length
verandas and we were lucky enough to have one of them. The cabin size was 171
sq. ft. with very generous storage capacity, a mini bar, and interactive TV. The
make-up table, mirror, and chair were most welcome. Our trip through the Panama
Canal took a total of two days with entering, transiting, and departing. Itwas a
fantastic experience and one not to be missed. Even at 6:30 a.m. it was worth
the early wakeup call, and this from someone who thinks 9:00 a.m. is too early.
There were excursions available into Panama but we were warned that we would be
tendered off the boat before the canal and would miss the interesting trip
through, if we took the excursion. Very few actually took the excursion but I
don't think those folks thought it was worth it.

The last stop before our home base of Ft. Lauderdale
was Aruba and what a gorgeous island it was. The miles of snow white sandy
beaches, three five-star hotels, clean streets, sparkling homes, and rugged wild
North shore with desert setting, were all gorgeous. We took the Aruba Town &
Countryside Drive and got a thorough enough overview to want to return to Aruba
as soon as possible. It's not over crowded, easy to maneuver around, and
spotlessly clean and beautiful. We have seen most all of the Caribbean Islands
and many of the Atlantic and Pacific Islands and none could compare to Aruba.
All in all, this was a truly amazing trip with just the right itinerary mixing
days on land and days at sea. There were three formal nights with lovely dinners
and shows, nice music available everywhere, great service, always
polite,courteous, and accommodating staff, and we were hard pressed to find many
negatives. Some in our group felt that Celebrity nickel and dimed us too much
and pushed the art, wine, and cigar auctions excessively, but I felt that it was
available but we were certainly free to take it or leave it. My only wish was
that they would be more stringent in enforcing dress codes in public areas of
the boat. On formal nights we saw some dressed in shorts in the Celebrity
Theater, there were a few bathing suits in the Dining Room at lunch, and denim,
cutoffs, and tank tops in the public rooms, at times. The rule is that proper
dress is required AT ALL TIMES in the public rooms and the warning was that it
was strictly enforced. Should be - but was not! !

Personally, I feel that when you pay top dollar for
a high-end cruise you should be able to expect more of the niceties and not feel
like you are staying in a Holiday Inn. But, as I said before, it was a wonderful
cruise and Celebrity is always my first choice for cruising!